Breakfast Brief: Tropical system brings Texas flood threat

Another scorcher is forecast for portions of the Ohio Valley and Northeast today, with most locals experiencing temperatures in the mid- to upper 90s. Meanwhile, flash flood risk increases dramatically across the northwest Gulf Coast as Potential Tropical Cyclone One nears..

The first long-duration heat wave is already underway across the eastern U.S., with temperatures potentially reaching the triple digits in the Northeast by Thursday or Friday. Many locations across the region will see or at least approach daily temperature high records that were set back in the early 1950s, marking the significance of this event.

In contrast to the extreme heat across the Northeast, the Northwest will remain in a period of cold, windy, rainy, and even snowy weather. Much-below-normal temperatures are bringing a round of late-season, wet snow across the high elevations of the northern Rockies.

To the south, a flash flood threat will be on the rise as a tropical cyclone nears the northwest Gulf Coast. Starting today, the system will push heavy tropical downpours across portions of eastern Texas and Louisiana. The WeatherRadar shows rain chances ramp up significantly on Wednesday for these areas.

The National Hurricane Center has issued the first forecast cone of the 2024 Hurricane Season for Potential Tropical Cyclone One. If the system strengthens to tropical storm status, it will become the first tropical cyclone of the season and be coined, Alberto. Regardless of development, the system will spread heavy tropical downpours across the northwest Gulf Coast, increasing flash flood risk across the region through Thursday.

Another area of potential development is located several hundred miles east of the Bahamas. The system is forecast to approach the coast of the southeast United States on Thursday or Friday, though the chances of development into a tropical cyclone remain low.

Now that we're in the longest days of the year, we know you have plenty of outdoor activities planned. We're here to support that! We've added length-of-day information to the Astro info card on all iOS devices. And don't worry, Android users, this feature will be coming to you soon, too.